Southwest
Lost 18th-century Spanish mission unearthed after decades of searching offers ‘rare snapshot’
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Archaeologists and students recently uncovered an 18th-century Catholic mission in Texas — a discovery that clarifies a key chapter in the early history of the Lone Star State.
Excavators from Texas Tech University (TTU) unearthed remains belonging to Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo (Mission Our Lady of the Holy Spirit), an abandoned settlement in Jackson County.
With the help of students, excavators discovered proof of the missing site, which resolves “decades of searching” and “fill[s] a long-standing gap in the historical record of early Texas,” the university said in a recent release.
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Pictures show excavators and archaeologists-in-training smiling at the site, located in southeastern Texas.
Excavation leader Tamra Walter, an associate professor of archaeology at TTU, told Fox News Digital this week that her team found numerous artifacts during the dig.
Researchers and students from Texas Tech University uncovered remains of an 18th-century Spanish Catholic mission. (Tamra Walter/Texas Tech University)
“We found lead shot and sprue, sourced to the mines in Boca de Leones in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, rose head nails — indicative of this time period — [and] parts of a copper kettle, including a handle,” she noted.
Her team also found pottery, plus fired clay and daub from the mud huts of the time — as well as brass trade rings, a part of a pair of scissors and “a number of as-yet unidentified objects.”
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The mission was related to Presidio La Bahía, a Spanish fort, and Fort St. Louis, a colony established by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
La Salle’s settlement, which failed, prompted Spain to reassert control over the region. The Spanish crown promptly launched expeditions, and Mission Espíritu Santo was part of Spain’s effort to “pay serious attention to Texas for the first time,” said Walter.
Artifacts recovered from the mission site include lead shot, rose head nails, pottery fragments and parts of a copper kettle. (Tamra Walter/Texas Tech University)
The religious settlement was only occupied from 1721 to 1725. The professor said that one of the main reasons for its early demise was difficulty in attracting Karankawa Native Americans to the mission.
“They relied heavily on the labor of Native converts, and without them, they didn’t have the manpower to establish and maintain crops and livestock to keep the operation going,” she said.
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“The local environment was also challenging. It was hot, the area was full of mosquitoes and there were alligators living in the nearby creek.”
The weather combined with difficulty surviving in mud huts led the missionaries to move westward to Goliad, Texas, to set up a new site.
The discovery was made with the help of students, giving them hands-on experience with centuries-old artifacts. (Tamra Walter/Texas Tech University)
What makes the mission’s remains so special is their rarity. Mission Espíritu Santo was “one of the earliest definitively located Spanish missions in Texas,” Walter said.
She added that the excavation “helps to provide a rare, undisturbed snapshot of daily life on the Spanish frontier in the early 18th century.”
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“Without La Salle’s colony, this mission and presidio likely would not have existed, and the events that unfolded here helped change the course of Texas history,” she said.
Walter added that her students were “very excited” to be part of the search for the mission.
The excavation “helps to provide a rare, undisturbed snapshot of daily life on the Spanish frontier in the early 18th century,” said the excavation leader. (Tamra Walter/Texas Tech University)
“They also had the opportunity to work with professional archaeologists from the Texas Historical Commission and even a team of researchers from New Mexico,” she added.
“I think it is also pretty exciting for them to touch the same artifacts used by the mission occupants more than 300 years ago.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
Loved ones search for missing 34-year-old Southern California woman
Loved ones are searching for a 34-year-old Southern California woman who has been missing for over a week.
Amy Lynn Edmonds, 34, was reported missing on June 28, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Edmonds, who is considered at-risk, was last seen walking away from Coast Plaza Hospital in Norwalk.
She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a blue jacket and was carrying a black backpack.
It’s unclear where she may have been heading when she disappeared.
Authorities said Edmonds has mental health and medical issues that require medication. Neither hospital staff nor loved ones have heard from her since and they are concerned for her well-being.
Anyone who may know Edmond’s whereabouts or has information on the case can call LASD’s Missing Persons Detail at 323-890-5500.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Waymo video could determine charges after teens’ bizarre California ride
Police are still waiting for video from Waymo before deciding whether two teenagers accused of drinking alcohol and firing an Orbeez gun from inside one of the company’s self-driving vehicles could face additional charges, a San Mateo police spokesperson told KTLA.
The incident unfolded around 2:10 p.m. Monday when a Waymo representative contacted the San Mateo Police Department to report suspicious behavior inside one of the company’s autonomous vehicles.
“The Waymo rep who contacted us told us they saw what they described as a firearm in the vehicle, described it black in color, and at some point believed that the passengers were firing it outside of the vehicle,” Community Relations Officer Janine Luna said. “Even at one point saying they believed they saw a recoil.”
The representative also reported that the passengers appeared to be intoxicated and had an open bottle of alcohol inside the vehicle, Luna said.
Believing they were responding to reports of a firearm being fired from a moving vehicle, officers coordinated with Waymo to conduct what police described as a high-risk traffic stop.
Luna said Waymo remotely disabled the vehicle in a location where officers could safely respond. The company then informed the passengers that the vehicle was experiencing mechanical problems while officers made their way to the scene.
Although the vehicle was disabled, its doors remained unlocked and the passengers could have exited if they wanted to, Luna said. Instead, they stayed inside until officers arrived, cleared the vehicle and detained the occupants.
Investigators later determined the suspected firearm was an Orbeez gun, a motorized toy that fires water-filled gel pellets.
While Orbeez guns are legal to possess, Luna said the one recovered by officers had been partially painted black, making it appear more like a real firearm.
“We’ve been seeing that a lot, where people are taking BB guns, water guns, toy guns, completely painting them over, and then in a lot of cases they actually do really look like real guns,” she said.
Police said no injuries or property damage have been reported, and no victims have come forward.
The two passengers, both 15 years old, were released to their parents and were not arrested, Luna said.
Authorities have already forwarded the underage drinking allegation to the juvenile district attorney for review. However, investigators are still waiting to receive Waymo video before deciding whether to recommend any additional charges.
“We’re still waiting to receive that video to determine what, if anything, they’ll be charged with,” Luna said. “Obviously it’s a water gun or toy gun. It’s not illegal to carry, but depending on shooting from a moving vehicle, there’s some of that that can come into play.”
Luna said this was the first time the San Mateo Police Department had handled an incident in which Waymo contacted officers in real time to report suspicious activity inside one of its vehicles.
The incident comes just weeks after another high-profile Waymo incident in Southern California. In late June, several teens were seen hanging out of the windows of a self-driving Waymo as it traveled through Santa Monica traffic. Waymo later told KTLA those riders’ accounts had been suspended for violating the company’s user agreement.
Luna also urged parents to keep an eye on their children during summer break and reminded the public not to alter the appearance of toy guns to make them resemble real firearms.
“We want to give our kids freedom to have fun and enjoy their time off from school,” Luna said. “But because they’re not in school, just keep an eye on them. Make sure you know where they’re at. Make sure you know who they’re hanging out with.”
Iman Palm and Aaron Tolentino contributed to this report.
Los Angeles, Ca
Bicyclist killed by hit-and-run driver in Long Beach
An investigation is underway after a bicyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Long Beach.
On July 6, Long Beach police responded to a crash near Cowles Street and Santa Fe Avenue just after 2:30 a.m.
Officers found the victim, a man in his 50s, lying unresponsive on the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver who struck him fled the area before officers arrived.
A preliminary investigation indicated the bicyclist was riding westbound on Cowles Street when he was struck by an unknown vehicle that turned onto Cowles from Santa Fe Avenue.
The victim’s name is being withheld pending positive identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
No further details, including a suspect or vehicle description, were released.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is urged to call the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation Detail at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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